At the beginning of October, we held a lecture and workshop about lynx and lynx introductions from the Carpathians at the Kočevje Gymnasium and Secondary School. The last part of the workshop was dedicated to role playing activity – a discussion where every student is assigned a role part of a different stakeholder and defends their position.
Before the role play, the students learned how to estimate the population. The practical part was based on the case of a bear. Photo: Doroteja Gorše
The purpose of the role playing activity was for high school students to learn about different views on lynx introductions and to empathize with roles they do not play in everyday life. The was held as a meeting at the ministry, and the roles were: secretary of the Ministry of the Environment, sheep breeders, hunters, a conservationist and an ecotourism service provider. Although it was not easy for everyone, the students warmed up the discussion and defended the positions assigned to them.
We held the lecture outside. Photo: Doroteja Gorše
To get acquainted with the topic in the discussion, the students first read two media articles on lynx reinforcement. Photo: Doroteja Gorše
The lecture and workshop were held as part of the LIFE Lynx’s Young Lynx Guardians programme. Its aim is to integrate lynx and new knowledge gained through the LIFE Lynx project into primary and secondary school classes. Nine schools from Slovenia take part in this programme.